Israel asked Trump to intervene to avert UN vote on settlements - Israeli official
The Israeli government asked President-elect Donald Trump to apply pressure to avert UN Security Council approval of a settlements resolution after it learned the Obama administration intended to allow the measure to pass, a senior Israeli official told Reuters on Thursday.
Israeli officials contacted Trump's transition team at a "high level" after failing to persuade US officials to veto the draft resolution and asked him to intervene, the official said. Two Western officials said that Obama had intended to abstain from the vote.
The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has had an acrimonious relationship with US President Barack Obama, believes the Obama administration had long planned the council vote in coordination with the Palestinians. "It was a violation of a core commitment to protect Israel at the UN," the official said.
